Flexible lasers based on the microstructured single-crystalline ultrathin films

Abstract

Herein, ultrathin crystals of 1,4-bis(4-methylstyryl)benzene (BSB-Me) with excellent mechanical flexibility have been grown by physical vapor transport method and used as active materials in distributed feedback laser devices. In order to maintain the excellent self-waveguide properties of organic single crystals, we adopt a double-layered laser configuration and demonstrate lasing both from one- and two-dimensional distributed feedback. The thin single crystals were further extended onto mechanically bendable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates and presented a proof-of-concept “flexible” organic single-crystal DFB laser. The “flexible” single-crystal laser could be bent with a radius less than 1 cm and recovers after more than 1000 bending cycles.